Within and between-session reliability of golf swing variables using the Trackman^® launch monitor in talented golfers

The purpose of the current study was to establish the within- and between-session reliability of the TrackMan^® launch monitor to measure golf swing variables. Twenty-one golfers attended two test sessions, with data captured from three golf shots using a 6-iron and three using a driver. Club head speed (CHS), ball speed, smash factor, attack angle, club path, launch angle, spin rate, spin axis, carry distance, and total distance were determined from data collected using a TrackMan^® launch monitor. Within- and between-session reliability for each variable was calculated using repeated measures analysis of variance, intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) and coefficients of variation (CV) with 95% confidence intervals. Within-session measures of CHS, ball speed, carry distance and total distance were found to be reliable for both 6-iron and driver (CV £5.8, ICC ³ 0.87) and launch angle for the 6-iron (CV = 6.7-9.3%, ICC = 0.87-0.92). Between-session measures of CHS, ball speed, smash factor, launch angle, carry distance, and total distance for both 6-iron and driver (CV% = 0.7-9.1%, ICC = 0.5-0.99), and spin rate for 6-iron (CV% = 9.4%, ICC = 0.89) were also shown to be reliable. These findings indicate that the TrackMan^® launch monitor is a reliable method for measuring CHS, ball speed, carry distance and total distance in talented golfers, both within- and between-sessions. Practitioners can confidently use these variables to assess golf swing performance in golfers and evaluate meaningful changes in response to training interventions.